Pitting current techs to old techs...

[w9cll]

It used to mean you had to have a General Radiotelephone Operator's license, but that got dropped a long time ago. I think now it means that you see the "No user serviceable parts inside" sticker as a challenge.

It was called "First class comerical" license but changed to what you have here in the early '80s, just after I got my first class ticket. I was grandfathered in.

 

[Smokinone]

My late father in law had a 2nd class license. He worked on it all, but was basically an old country boy who just had an infinite curiosity about electronics...and basically everything else from rebuilding car motors, working on AC, and also was a licensed union electrician.
But I never heard him put anyone down. I don't think he even graduated high school in the technical sense, but worked on radar systems in the Army...Army Air Corp.

Commercial Radio Operator Types of Licenses

.wtb-tbl-check {padding: 25px; border: 5px solid #13428b; margin: 25px 0; } The FCC currently issues the following types of commercial operator licenses and endorsements:

www.fcc.gov

 

[nomadradio]

The only certification I have is from this outfit. Admittedly it was 40 years ago. But back in the bad old days when there actual repair businesses, these guys were in there pitching.

https://certifiedelectronicstechnician.org/

73

 

[nomadradio]

Oh, and stumbled across this on the ISCET site.

https://certifiedelectronicstechnician.org/fcc-exam/

73

 

[GlocknSpiel]

I apologize if I offended anyone on here, that was not my intention by any means. I'm just fed up with a couple of my locals (who are drunks) always trying to compare me to their old local tech (whom I got along with fine) who is passed away now. Their old tech (he wasn't really old in age, bout the same as I am, 58) was very good on amps (the best in the state) and he worked on radios. He and I got along great. He wanted me to come to work at his shop a few times but I chose to stay in my lane.

Well, although we got along fine, never said anything out of the way to each other, had respect for one another, it still upsets me when a couple of these clowns like to ruffle my feathers by trying to compare him to me. Every radio that comes on my desk, the owners always make a point to mention that snag was the last one in their radio (which I already know this cause that's where all these locals sent their stuff), which I notice every time I open the covers on them. He may have been about money, but I'm not. These cb'ers have been ripped off for far too long, not just by techs (as I see him now by the work in fixing of his) but also by makers of these papa mods, super mods, etc ..which are trash.

I couldn't have gotten to where I'm at now without the help of you guys/gals on this site, many of which ARE old timers and I acknowledge that fact. Therefore there was no intended hate and discontent directed towards ALL old techs.

I meant no disrespect to you guys/gals, I know my lane, lol.

No need to apologize for your opinion (IMHO)
And I've seen things done inside radios that should be considered crimes, so your BASIS for forming those opinion are understandable anyhow.

BTW; The only paper I ever had was the GROL ticket I got in the NAVY back in the early 70's. The rest of my training was hands-on in my father's shop. There's something to be said for DOING stuff instead of checking the right boxes about it on some multiple choice test.

 

[TM86]

It was called "First class comerical" license but changed to what you have here in the early '80s, just after I got my first class ticket. I was grandfathered in.

I would have missed that since I was either in Jr High or High School at the time. For just a moment there, I felt young again.

 

[RK20]

The whole thing about 'your old techs' 'my new techs', certificates, degrees, licences and on and on is like a reverse-engineering a bowl of spaghetti.

A standard person knew at one point how good or bad an individual bowl of spaghetti was. Once it has been analyzed by running it through the gut or other laboratory gear, it's not the same thing any more and the information that made it good or bad has been lost.

It's about experiences track record and abilities more than anything else. A piece of paper is just the industry-standard icebreaker.

If there's a point it's only whether an individual is fit to do whatever work is wanted, and whether they can prove it.

 

[tramd]

The whole thing about 'your old techs' 'my new techs', certificates, degrees, licences and on and on is like a reverse-engineering a bowl of spaghetti.

A standard person knew at one point how good or bad an individual bowl of spaghetti was. Once it has been analyzed by running it through the gut or other laboratory gear, it's not the same thing any more and the information that made it good or bad has been lost.

It's about experiences track record and abilities more than anything else. A piece of paper is just the industry-standard icebreaker.

If there's a point it's only whether an individual is fit to do whatever work is wanted, and whether they can prove it.

All that's true to a point, but that won't always get people good jobs that pay well with good benefits. In my 43-year career, I worked for three corporations that were always designing and building equipment with the latest technology available to be competitive and stay at the top in their industry. People that managed to get hired and didn't have a formal education and training never made it. Even though a few were older and experienced, they failed to get projects done on time and were always asking for help for things that they should have known how to do. They just weren't able to do the jobs, as they didn't have the knowledge needed and would get let go or moved to some department where they were able to do the work.
There is so much that one learns in school that they will never learn on their own without it. In school, there is a professional in the room to teach you and answer your questions. You will become familiar with all kinds of test equipment, learn how to design and analyze circuits, troubleshoot issues, work with others, learn the math, computer and software skills needed for electronics. In any type of schooling, you are basically forced to learn the material in order to pass the tests, so you can pass the classes and move on to the next level and eventually graduate. Learning on your own, there is no teacher in the room to help you. If you don't understand something, you have to find a book, search the internet or ask someone who does know. Groups, forums, and YouTube videos will never teach you everything you need to know about electronics. People also have a tendency to just skip over things they don't understand or that seem too hard, so they never learn them. Electronics is not easy to learn, and it gets more and more complicated as it advances. It's all based on math, so one has to be proficient at least in algebra and trigonometry in order to understand it and be able to solve the equations. Those equations many times can help solve issues that one finds during troubleshooting, and they are needed in circuit design. Good computer skills are definitely needed as in the last forty years everything in electronics has become computerized and microprocessors control everything today. That's why companies want to see a piece of paper. They aren't going to teach people what they should already know, and it costs them too much money and time in taking a chance on someone.

 

[tramd]

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[Johnny Waggoner]

Like many repair guys of my day I got into repairs because I had no real tech I read "Books" we had those I bought books. You all should remember the ARRL guide, the CB dummy or anything by Lou Franklin. We taught or self to read schematics, this helped me as a mechanic as well. Then Real Life hit "86" I was a father no time for a part-time gig. Did the Ham thing for awhile but I didn't fit the mold. I did learn a lot about the people who believed they were smart, but couldn't do a "Mars mod". During the 86 to 2019 I still did some repairs and wired a lot of mics. In 2020 I got hurt pretty bad as a Correctional Officer and was retired. So since then I been retired. Never considered myself a tech, I learned about circuits though I remember the days if clip the diode or pull the limiter. That was what folks wanted. Now days I don't do it unless someone states thats what they want. Same with the big finals and mosfets for 3-5 watts. Since going blind in one eye and eye surgeries in both eyes it has limited what i can do. That has been good and bad. Now I have my Amp guys and Radio repair guys. I still do some stuff that I have wrote in my note books. Simple stuff like extra channels if the PLL will do it, and clarifier mods. To me thats not tech stuff. To me being able to build a wafer board switch or buffer assembly and know how to set bias correctly is tech stuff. "Poke Poke" you know who you are. Im still a sucker for my Mark III's and SB221 with the special wafer I put together. The term "Tech" is general, every area of radio has these folks. Just because you can wire a input and output transformer for a 2879 doesnt make you a tech. Maybe you can ground the grids on some 3-500Z's. Dont make you a tech but that is a useful skill if you understand the full aspect of each. So remember everyone has a style and knowlege, I dont bad mouth others work. Even if you dont agree with it. Our hands may not be as steady as they once were. So instead of knocking each other keep pushing the hobby there are enuff haters in the world. If your a Ham keep upgrading and become a elmer. If you do CB help some one set his antenna, wire a mic, change a light in a meter. Love the hobby and strive to be better. Anyway there is my run-on Rant..... John..... Old habit dots......I loved paket, LOL.

 

[Hawkeye351]

Like I said earlier, I apologize if I offended others.

As far as me claiming to be a tech, I just go by what my locals call me. I have no college degree, certificate, etc... To be honest, I've seen a lot of people in society brag on their degree, college education but once they're put under the scope with questions they don't know any more than what their professor or teacher told them, good a regurgitating exactly what they've been told. I've also witnessed a lot of these college educated IT techs not know the first thing about troubleshooting, just replacing expensive boards without finding the fault on the board. Costs more money doing things that way, wastes a lot of good parts and they never learn anything like that.

Our last "tech" wasn't college educated on this stuff, all he had was a technician class ham license. He didn't have any documentation stating he was trained or qualified in this stuff, but he was considered by the locals as the TECH.

CBers don't care about that degree, certificate, piece of paper. They will call you a tech just by how good of a job you do on their equipment. Especially when you're the only one in a 100 mile radius that can fix their electronics. Heck, I've been called a computer wiz at times just because I know how to program in Java, apache, vc++, vb, I can remove any virus without any trouble without harm to any files/folders, whereas college educated techs always tell the owner the hard drive is bad, memory is bad, the laptop is to old to invest in so it's best to just buy a new one, AGAIN WASTE.

A piece of paper doesn't dictate what EVERY individual that gets one is qualified for, it just proves they are good at following orders, doing what they're told, regurgitating exactly what they've been taught without questioning anything they've been taught, and holding it over others heads as a sign of superiority.

I know one old man (73 years old) that dropped out of high school, never went back but now is the owner of a multi-million dollar a year rental business which he started on his own with no college education, degree, etc .. The society accepted him anyway as a rich business man, knowing he has no college education.

I don't claim to be a tech, I just call myself what my locals call me/consider me as, same as they did with the last "tech" around here.

Also, isn't there a college educated guy on YouTube beating all users and calling other techs trash? Doesn't he have some sort of degree in all this stuff? But yet he throws his paperwork (even calibration paperwork) in our faces as if he knows more than anyone else because he has a college education in this field. He feels superior over the rest of us just because of those papers, prideful, boastful, narcissistic, egotistical, etc... To me, that's being a snob.

Anyway, like I said, I'm sorry if I offended anyone on here. I know nothing about what education level you guys/gals have, but I do know the other local techs (around here) education level on this stuff BASED OFF WHAT I SEE COME ACROSS MY DESK.

 

[brandon7861]

Formal education doesn't mean much to me. That piece of paper just means that, at one time, you used to know enough to pass a test. In this country, you are not allowed to focus your studies on your career path, instead you focus your day studying irrelevant generals, you end up cramming for the important test and you probably forget everything shortly after. Nobody that got a degree 20 years ago could go pass that same test today. I was seriously considering electronics courses about 5 years ago, but the college said that I had to learn how to cuss in in at least one other language before I could get solder-certified, so I said to hell with it.

You gotta give the old-timer some slack too. He didn't have the world's knowledge at his fingertips like we do. If he wanted to learn something, he has to go to a library or have a mentor. He didn't have google, youtube or forums, and not everyone comes from money.

The hobby has grown though, and even with infinite knowledge at our fingertips, the new guys have their work cut out for them too. The concepts are the same, but there is much more to learn. We have IC chips that require code to be uploaded from a computer, tiny parts that require extreme skill to work with by hand, and a market that does everything it can to limit ones right to repair, from defacing chips to obscuring technical literature. In 10 years, you'll open up a radio and see nothing but a blob of epoxy surrounded by 6 little cans. There will be nothing visible to fix.

The real issue is that some people have no ethical code and it is up to the individual to spot the troublemakers and avoid them. Reputation is earned, not purchased at a university or assumed because of a calibration certificate,

edit:
..and I don't put much value to general radiotelephone licenses either. I took a practice test when considering a job that required one and from what I saw, I am quite confident that I would have easily passed it if it didn't have the aviation and legal stuff in it. You don't have to understand the nuances of every circuit to get that ticket.

 

[unit_399]

Referring to the member who started this thread . . .

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Anyone who disses other technicians and has to tell everyone what a great technician he is . . . Usually isn't.

J.J. 399

 

[secret squirrel]

You made me laugh with the tech vs. engineer titles, brings back memories, back when i set out to do a better job than the other guy. Way back when I still had may tax license for my computer business- the name was Angel Technology Computing Services. Now, I will date the business, I picked the name using the letter A using the same logic as Apple Computers. My now ex-wife was titled the Chief Financial Officer for the business. I used the title Chief Engineer after Mr. Scott.

 

[Hawkeye351]

I'm no tech, never claimed to be, I just title myself as my locals title me since they don't have a TECH around here.

I AM A HOBBYIST, but my locals call me their tech.

I'm only doing it as a hobby to help these locals out, until a real licensed tech comes around. Anytime I need help, I always come to the ones I consider real experts on this site. I could care less about their certification, degree level or how much schooling they have, all I care about is how much more knowledgeable they are on this stuff than I am, and im grateful for all their help. I learn from them, regardless of whether or not they have a college degree or certification in the field.